Touché
by diaddicted
Summary: When the team is at risk and the mind denies what the heart is feeling. A point should be made.
1. Hurricane

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS  
>This is my very first NCIS fanfic, so, please be patient with my writing. I couldn't really think of a case too, so it was rather cliché and i guess... ENJOY :) since you've come this far, please read and review. Thank you. :)<p>

It was a fine summer day. Rested on her table, her head was still. He was sitting across her, looking at her with his prank-face. He grabbed the pen that was lying there and aimed it at her.

"She knows." McGee tried to warn him. Tony rolled his eyes and grinned. McGee's warning didn't stop him. He threw his pen towards her. Before reaching her, she raised her head up, but the pen her partner threw was already in the hands of their boss.

"Gear up!" They heard Gibbs say. The team grabbed their gears and headed to the elevator. "Ziva, you're with Tony. McGee, with me." They all nodded.

Into separate cars they went.

Ziva looked at Tony, and without hesitation, Tony shook his head. There was no way that he would let Ziva drive early in the morning like that. It would just ruin his day, or so he showed on the surface. Deep down, he might have liked the crazy speed she's keeping up with. The thrill to be there with her and just enjoying the ride with her.

It was a bright day, for some. A gloomy one, for the rest. Under the bright sun, a dark blue, almost seemingly black, sedan pulled over beside a big field.

"Dead navy lieutenant. Lieutenant John Doe. Doesn't seem to be a robbery. Car key's still in his pocket, money's still in the wallet. No identification of some sort, except, well, his uniform." He opened the dead lieutenant's wallet and counted the lieutenant's money. "He has more than half a grand in his pocket and the killer didn't touch them? The killer must be a moron, …" Tony stopped when Gibbs stared at him.

"Or smart for not leaving tracks." Ziva gave an alternative answer. Tony mimicked the way she said those words and continued examining the dead body. "Hey, Tony, look up." She said with a laugh. Her usual laugh. As Tony who was crouching tilted his head up and squinted his eyes from the bright sunlight, Ziva's camera captured the look on his face. She checked the picture she just took and smiled, "Very handsome Tony." She left him a sarcastic remark.

"Ha Ha." Was his reply, which sounded as though he replied almost unwillingly. To this answer, a half-smile was plastered on Ziva's face. "What are you laughing at, probie? Don't you have work to do?" He snarled at McGee. McGee and Ziva shared a wink and a small laugh, but just as they were about to return to their own individual work, Gibbs pulled out his gun and fired a bullet. Everyone's attention was on Gibbs.

"McGee, your 3!" Gibbs said quickly. Each of them pulled out a gun and pointed it to where the shooter's supposed to be, but he was already gone in his Chevrolet. "License plate!" With that, McGee's already busy.

"Chevy. That's a new one. And why would he want to shoot us?" Tony wondered.

"Oh. Uhh- boss, he's not in the database."

* * *

><p>"And…" Jennifer struggled with picking up a letter. "Mail for you." Jennifer handed a light blue envelope to Ziva. Ziva replied with a smile.<p>

"So, who is this guy? Sending you mail at work?" Tony teased her.

"Tony, I haven't opened the seal yet." Ziva replied with her normal hasty tone. Carefully, she opened the seal and read it. Gibbs looked up for a bit to see the back of the letter. It didn't take Ziva too long to crumple the letter and throw it to the trashcan.

"OH!" Tony said and laughed. "Oh." He corrected himself after catching the Gibbs-stare being thrown at him.

The phone rang.

"Special agent David, how may I help you?" Ziva asked. "Oh, ok. Well, bring him up." She said without blinking and hung up. "Someone reported that his brother had been missing for a week, a lieutenant. Might be our John Doe." She announced to the team.

"Take him to autopsy. Talk to Ducky." Gibbs instructed and Ziva nodded.

An average-height man with dark hair and green eyes walked into the room. With a dark blue shirt, he fitted right into the team.

"Where is he?" He asked, jittery. "Did he tell you where he had been? He never left home more than a couple of days." The officer who had escorted him left the lieutenant's brother with Ziva as she mouthed, 'I got him'.

"Sir, if it's ok with you, I'd like to know your name first." Ziva politely asked. " And your brother's."

"It's Brian. Brian Canson. My brother was lieutenant Gary Canson." He said, as he started to calm down. "So, where is he?" He asked once more. Ziva turned to look at Gibbs. He did nothing but nodded.

"Mr. Canson, I'm really sorry but your brother might not be alive. A navy lieutenant was found—dead. Murdered." Ziva looked at the floor for a second and she was engaged in the conversation again. With a blank stare, he asked,

"Can I see him now?" And Ziva led him to the autopsy room. The elevator turned silent.

* * *

><p>Gibbs left his desk in a hurry. He grabbed some papers and headed to the director's room upstairs. The director was definitely expecting his entrance.<p>

"How bad?" He asked Gibbs.

"We're talking about possibly losing an agent, here, Leon." He looked at the director's eyes. "Maybe more if you keep responding slow like this." Gibbs added, not bothered to look at the director's expression. Gibbs raised an eyebrow and threw the papers to the director's desk.

* * *

><p>AN: thank you for reading, please review. :D  
>this was just the opening though, hope the next chapter's would be more interesting for you to read. :)<p> 


	2. Alpha

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." McGee warned Tony.

"Well, they don't need to know do they, probie?" He replied. McGee rolled his eyes. They both knew, crystal clear, in their own minds that Tony will be caught.

He picked up the blue envelope from the trashcan and opened the letter.

_Let's just say, that dead navy lieutenant was a warning, Ziva._

_-L_

"Probie, this is not a love letter at all. It's a threat." Tony told McGee. His face turned serious and McGee knew he wasn't kidding. He stood up from his chair and joined Tony. The letter was read once. Twice. Thrice. The terror didn't fade. "Who's 'L'? And why Ziva?" He asked Tim. Before he could answer, Gibbs was already heading back to his desk.

"Don't you have anything else to do, Tony? McGee?" He asked Tony and McGee.

"But boss-" Tony protested. Gibbs directed his to Tony. "You know?" He asked his boss in disbelief.

"Ya think, Tony?" Gibbs went back doing whatever he was doing.

* * *

><p>The door to the autopsy room opened. Ducky was standing over the dead body, talking to the body lying still rather than his assistant. The room was cold. It was dull and intense. Palmer was too busy analyzing the x-rays he just posted, looking for anything odd or out of place. Ducky stopped talking and ushered Ziva to come closer. So she did, followed by the lieutenant's brother.<p>

Brian's eyes grew wide and he fell into complete silence.

"Ducky, this is the lieutenant's brother. I'll leave him with you. Gibbs needs me to deal with some paperwork upstairs." She said as she walked to the door. "Palmer, can you escort him out of the building later?" She disturbed his thoughts. Palmer smiled and nodded once. "Thank you." She whispered. There was a _ding_ on the elevator and Ziva was back up to her office floor.

* * *

><p>"Who's 'L'?" Tony asked Ziva as soon as she settled down. Ziva gave him a stern look.<p>

"Ok, first of all, I don't know who 'L' is." She paused. "And secondly, what were you doing with my trash?"

"Well he clearly knows you. He mentioned your name in that letter." Tony emphasized. Ziva ignored him and continued working on the paperwork she was supposed to be working on.

A little after 8pm, Ziva left for the bathroom. Tony followed her. Into the bathroom like Ziva always did when she wanted to talk to Tony in private. Ziva turned the tap on and washed her face. She washed the fear she was hiding away from that face.

"Ok. Who is he?" Tony said from behind her.

"Tony!" Ziva yelled at him.

"Like you never go into the men's bathroom. Look, I need you to tell me. Who is he?" Ziva didn't look interested. Clearly, she wanted to avoid this conversation.

"A… Friend, from Paris." She replied hesitantly. She looked at Tony and quickly looked away as soon as she realized that their eyes were locked to each other's.

"C'mon, Ziva. A friend doesn't threat to kill you." Tony explained his interpretation. He knew how to read between the lines after years of training. Maybe sometimes, he overanalyzes things, but everyone overanalyze something once in a while.

Ziva headed out to her desk again.

"Ziva!" Tony called out at her, still hoping for an answer.

* * *

><p>"Ah! Yes! I knew it!" Abby talked to her screen. In the background, a low-volume music was playing. Her usual work-music. She took Bert the Hippo with her, locked her room, and turned the music off. "I guess that's it for today." She said, closing the door.<p>

There was a sound of Bert's fart, and then the sound of the elevator.

* * *

><p>"Just drop it, Tony. She's not important." She told him. McGee stared at the two, wondering exactly what is happening.<p>

"Ziva, take Tony with you." Gibbs told her.

"Where?" She asked. "I thought we're done for the day?" All of the agents were already packing up, getting ready to go home. They all stopped.

"Home." Gibbs explained.

On the far side of the building floor, Abby came walking with Bert. In fact, she was rather excited. She came from McGee's side of the room and stood there when she saw what was going on.

"Gibbs, I can take care of myself." Ziva said, rising her tone. She didn't like the idea.

"I know." He remained calm, as he usually did. Tony and McGee looked at each other, still processing the information.

"Then let me come home alone!" Her tough girl image was still there.

"It wasn't a request, Ziva." Gibbs told her, starting to sound impatient.

"Fine. But I'm driving." Ziva finally said to Tony, knowing that she wouldn't win this debate with Gibbs.

"Fine by me, as long as you're cooking dinner." Tony said. Abby interrupted the conversation with a smile.

"You got something, Abs?" He asked.

"Actually, yes, Gibbs." She said rather cheerfully. It's rather ironic how she smiles for every murder case they faced. "The trace of fiber, it came from an industry that specializes on trench coats." She told Gibbs.

"Details, Abby." Gibbs demanded. He saw the looks on Abby's face and knew she hadn't had any yet. "Ziva, go home. Tony, if she comes back tomorrow with a scratch on her face, you are dead to me. Understood?" He needs reassurance from his special agent.

"Understood, boss." He replied.

"McGee, Abby, go home." Gibbs said.

"Aren't you going home, Gibbs?" Abby asked him. Her eyes grew wide of curiosity.

"I'm staying. Got a case I need to finish soon." Gibbs replied.

"Ziva got a threatening message. The dead body in the autopsy was killed to warn her. It's all related." McGee explained.

"Is she going to be ok?" Abby started to worry.

"You tell me." Gibbs replied with an ignorant tone, though he sincerely cared about every single member of his team. His family.

* * *

><p><em>Paris<em>, Tony texted McGee.

* * *

><p>"I'm staying, then." She decided. Gibbs agreed though he didn't stay a word. Both McGee and Abby stayed where they were.<p>

"McGee. You waiting for an invitation?" He asked his only agent left.

"Boss, running through the database with only a clue of a person living in Paris and he or she has an initial 'L'." He said.

"It's a 'she', McGee." Gibbs said. McGee and Abby looked at him. "Ziva accidentally said 'she' didn't you hear?" Gibbs asked.

"But boss, even if we know 'L' is a she, we would still have a lot of—" He saw the look on Gibbs' face. "Right, boss. Running it through the database." He said.


	3. The Patch

"Well, well, well, you've got to teach me how to cook this brilliant spaghetti." Tony said to heras he finished a plate of Ziva's spaghetti. The dining room that was only used to Ziva had now been invaded by Tony in his sweatshirt and pants."Food is fuel. Get picky about what you put in the tank, your engine is gonna die." Ziva laughed.

"Didn't know you like Ratatouille." She found his quote this time funny.

"Well, a man needs his boy form every once in a while." He said. Ziva continued to laugh. "Go ahead, make fun of me." He insincerely grinned. Atop of the glasses, he spotted a bottle of champagne. "Didn't know you would have a precious thing like that." He motioned to it. Ziva looked at the table and smiled. Her face looked bright under the dim light of the dining room.

"A lot of things you don't know about me." She said. They were different after working hours. Tony looked more casual and Ziva was, well, not Mossad Ziva. Her tan skin was covered with a short, velvet nightgown.

"I'm learning." He said and smiled. Ziva looked at him. For a moment, they shared a smile. The sound of the TV was muted to them. The temptation to continue eating more spaghetti was gone.

"I-I'd better get the that champagne so you can have a little taste of that… Precious thing." She said with a smile to break the silence. Her tone mimicked Tony's. She was back as a person who likes to tease Tony again. Tony smiled. Delighted of what he was offered.

Ziva poured them a bit of champagne.

"To us." He said, not quite finished. Ziva squinted. "…Being the best NCIS partners in history." And then they both smiled.

"To us." Ziva repeated, smiling. "And the team for being the best team." She added. They both smiled. The room became friendly again. It was warm. Ziva went to her couch. Tony followed and she adjusted to him being there.

And just as they thought the night turned out to be great after all…

* * *

><p>"Got any hits yet, McGee?" Gibbs stared at the LCD they all shared.<p>

"Actually, too many boss." McGee answered nervously.

"Gibbs. Got a hit on the company name." She said. "Here, McGee, run it to the database, check whether any of these women buys their trench coat from this company." She told her partner.

"Running it." He said. He sat on his desk staring at the screen of his computer with Abby behind his chair.

"Well, don't you have anything else to do?" Gibbs asked.

Gibbs phone rang.

"Talk to me, Ziva." He said as he picked up the call. All pairs of eyes looked at Gibbs. "We're on our way." He hung up and instructed Abby and McGee to come with him.

"Boss, the data—" McGee stopped himself from complaining, knowing that it was something urgent. Even if it wasn't, Gibbs won't listen to anything. "I'll bring my laptop." He said, as if he was correcting himself.

* * *

><p>"Why are we in the hospital, Gibbs?" Abby asked him, a little scared. She feared for Ziva's safety.<p>

"Tony's been wounded." Gibbs replied. Abby's fear didn't go away. McGee who was trailing behind them with his laptop caught up with them. "His sight might be damaged. We're one agent down." Gibbs was preparing them of what might come their way.

Ziva was inside the room. Sitting beside the hospital bed feeling guilty as ever. She looked at Tony's bandaged eyes. He seemed to be hurting, but he hadn't complained nor whined since he was in the hospital bed. When she saw Gibbs, she headed towards the door.

"I'll go outside for a minute, Tony." She said. She opened the door and met the rest of the team.

"Ziva, fill me in." Gibbs said as he spotted Ziva wrapped in an oversized jacket.

"We were just having dinner and it just… Happened." She was still in shock. A little bit speechless. "I'm sorry, Gibbs." She said.

"Never apologize, Ziva. It's a sign of weakness." Abby said as she gave Ziva a hug. A smile came and left in a hurry on Ziva's face.

"He'll be fine. He's probably enjoying our attention right now." McGee smiled a reassuring smile to Ziva.

"Why are you guys acting as if I'm the one who needs your support? Tony's the one lying on the hospital bed." She sort of snapped. Everyone gave her some space to think. They knew better than to make her even more upset. They entered the room.

"How are you feeling, Tony?" McGee asked.

"Well, despite the fact that I cannot see and this bandage is really itchy that it hurts me, I'm fine, probie." He sarcastically replied.

"Don't worry about going to work tomorrow morning, Tony. You need some rest." Abby said. "Here, take Bert. He'll accompany you when you're alone." She placed Bert next to Tony's pillow.

"Thanks, Abby. But I don't think I'll be alone, right Ziva?" He asked Ziva to confirm it. Everyone looked at Ziva. She whispered a low 'what?' and replied Tony,

"Uhh… Yeah." She said.

"Boss, I'm sorry to interrupt but we don't get a single hit." McGee said as his laptop beeped.

* * *

><p>The darkness defeated the business of the day. The silence swallowed the tiring day. The coldness of the hospital room hid the warmth they shared in the dining room.<p>

"Goodnight." Ziva whispered into the air.

* * *

><p>It was 7 in the morning. Ziva was already up and ready for the day. She went to the bathroom to clean herself and woke Tony up.<p>

"Tony, I'll be back soon. I still have to work." Ziva told him.

"But the case is literally about you, Ziva." He insisted for her to stay.

"Because it is about me, Tony, no one else should get hurt for me." She said. With that, she left Tony in the loneliness of the room.

"Well, I guess it's just you and me, Bert." Tony said.


	4. A Crack

**Hi there. Well, this is the fourth chapter. I don't really know what I should write about. I don't really know what you think about the story, but I hope you like it. As I said earlier, I am no expert in building a murder story, so if you find it strange, forgive me. If you enjoy it, thank you! :) Please review.**

"McGee! Maybe it was not an initial. Maybe it was an 'Elle'." Abby said as she finished her Caf-Pow. It was like that drink of hers had given her the idea.

"Huh?" McGee asked.

"Elle! Like the brand." Abby said to make things clear for him. He hit a light bulb.

"This might take a while though." He pinched in the name Elle, the location, and the company name.

Gibbs came down from MTAC and put his jacket around his chair. Just around that time, the name popped up.

"Got a name boss." McGee announced.

"Yep. Elle Klapen." He said. McGee was speechless, but he was Gibbs after all. He knew his way around.

"Doesn't sound Paris to me." Abby said.

"Oh, so you've figured it out." Ziva came in interrupting. "She's not from there. She was an immigrant." She pointed out.

"Ziva, you're off the case." Gibbs told her as she put her things down on her table. Her eyes were fixed on Abby who was sitting on Tony's table, seeming like she's doing her rituals again.

"I don't want any more people getting hurt because of me, Gibbs." She turned to look at Gibbs.

"That is why you should be off this case." He said.

"You are already one agent down, Gibbs. Without me, you're 2 agents down!" She pointed out.

"Two very special agents, Gibbs." Abby helped Ziva.

"Ok." He replied in a second.

"Huh?" McGee, Abby, and Ziva said in unison.

"What? Do you want in or not?" Gibbs asked. They all stopped asking because they didn't want to push it.

"Born in Klapen, Norway. She moved to Paris when she was 5." Ziva started to explain.

"That explains her name." McGee said. Everyone stared at him.

"I met her when I was about 18. She was like my umm… Paired partner. I worked for Mossad and she works for a company called point357. They gave a .357 to every employee. Similar height, similar weight. At least the last time I saw her."

"But no bullet was found on the body. Much less a .357." McGee said.

"I'm not done, McGee." Ziva said. "During trainings, our Mossad agents were asked to train them to use knives, learn how to defend themselves, and other basic skills." Ziva added.

"So she's practically a mean, dangerous Ziva." Abby concluded.

Tony searched for his phone. Feeling the things that were on the table next to him. He felt alone without his sight. Empty without company. Helpless without his work.

He found his phone.

_Why hadn't it ring?_ He thought to himself. _Should I speed dial?_

"Anything at all, Duck?" Gibbs entered the frozen atmosphere of the morgue.

"Well, in fact, there is something. Can you see his ribs here?" Ducky pointed at the x-ray of the lieutenant's broken ribs.

"It had started to remodel." Gibbs said.

"Indeed. This looks like he had broken it about a couple of months before he's dead." Ducky told Gibbs.

"Looks like Elle has been around for sometime. Looks like she has been sending Ziva clues, it's just that Ziva didn't realize it." Gibbs said. Ducky looked at him. "Think a person like Ziva's capable of causing that kind of damage?"

"Jethro, Ziva won't do such a thing." Ducky seemed to not get the message Gibbs was sending.

"Not Ziva. A person like Ziva, Duck." He said it again. With that, he smiled and left the room.

With Ziva's driving skill, she arrived at the hospital in no time. She grabbed some of Tony's favorite snacks from the vending machine and headed to Tony's room without the urge to hurry. 306. There it was. From outside, she paid attention to Tony. His hand kept lifting his phone. He seemed to almost press the button, but decided not to. Again, and he changed his mind again. She felt her heart getting heavy, but she pushed that feeling aside. In no time, she felt like her usual self again. She opened the door to his hospital room.

"Well, who's the lucky girl?" She asked, smiling. Tony gave a low chuckle.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"You've been lifting that phone, trying to speed dial someone, but decided not to over and over again." She explained. "You'll never be in that big of a dilemma if it's not for a girl." She smirked. They both turned silent for a while. "I brought this for you. Your favorites." She broke the silence and dropped the snacks for Tony to enjoy.

Delightfully, Tony ate them.

"Well, there is this girl." He replied.

"Where's Ziva?" Abby asked McGee when she returned from the lab. She had temporarily moved to Tony's desk while he wasn't around.

"She's excused." Gibbs said when he walked into the room with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Boss, chasing this girl is like chasing a ghost. Nothing is registered under her name." McGee told Gibbs.

"Try harder, McGee." Gibbs requested of him.

"Oh, McGee, mail for you." Abby remembered that she was holding a package for McGee. "Talking about nice appearance and stinky smell!" Abby added.

McGee grabbed the package from Abby. It was wrapped in a peach box with a yellow ribbon tied around it. The room was then filled with a nasty smell. He slowly opened the beautifully packed gift. Without hesitation, McGee threw the package and a tongue rolled out of the box.

"Her name is Lavie." Tony said. He smiled his naughty smile. "She's tough, but she's fragile. She's beautiful, she's sweet, and she's hot." He said and laughed.

"Usual Tony." Ziva replied, half smiling.

"No, not the usual me. Learn me, Ziva." He said, almost bragging. Ziva had been learning Tony. She had ever since she joined the team. She learned everyone. "Dig deep, Ziva. You'll understand."

"I will never fully understand a guy like you, Tony." She said. They were playing cat and dog again.

Tony's text message tone was heard.

"Here, read it. It's not much of a help for me." Tony said, referring to his temporary blindness. Ziva hesitated for a while. "I'm sure it's not Lavie." He said and gave Ziva the phone. She took the phone and opened the text that turned out to be from McGee.

"McGee just got a package. Anonymous. A human tongue that was freshly cut." Ziva told Tony.

"I just lost my appetite." Tony said. Ziva stayed silent as if her ears built a wall that won't let Tony's word enter.

"She's sending us a message. A dead body, your eyes, and McGee's package. What can that possibly mean?" Ziva asked Tony, but most of all, herself.

"And where is the rest of the body, Abby?" Doctor Mallard asked the girl with two ponytails.

"This is all we have, Ducky. It was delivered. Written, 'For McGee'." She said. "Anonymous." A short addition was uttered.

"First Ziva, and then Tony, and now, McGee." Ducky stated what was obvious to them.

"I know, right? Is it just me or is this lunatic trying to send us a message?" Abby sighed. "Well, I'd better get back upstairs before Gibbs come down here looking for me." Abby said and kissed Ducky's cheek.

"Alright, Abby." He smiled.

**Well, thank you for reading, I suppose. :) Please review because I do need your reviews. :) it would mean a lot to me. Thank you :D next chapter's coming soon. I've finished this story already actually.**


	5. Triangle

**So, this is the fifth chapter, which is the second last chapter. It's a little bit longer than the usual, so, enjoy! :) Don't forget to review. Thank you :)**

Abby sat back on Tony's desk with Ziva's crumpled letter and McGee's package in front of her.

"She's trying to send us a message." Ziva appeared from nowhere. She had been gone for 4 hours by then, but now, she was back. "A dead body dedicated for me, Tony's eyes, and a tongue for McGee." She sat down on her table, beginning to jot down the list of possibilities to what those mean.

"Ziva, where have you been?" Abby asked her, excited to see a non-vacant seat in front of her.

"The hospital with Tony. I had been trying to solve this… Thing with Tony, but neither of us can understand her message." Ziva said out of frustration.

"No, it wasn't just her." Abby stated. She pulled up the pictures of the evidences on the screen so everyone can see. They all gathered in front of it. "You see the two handwritings from Ziva's letter and McGee's mail?" She asked them.

"They're different." McGee said after analyzing it.

"Yeah. There is more than 1 killer here, guys." Abby said.

* * *

><p>"And to what do I owe the honor for you to come down here, my dear?" Ducky asked Ziva. "Do you have anything for me?" He asked another question. Ziva chuckled.<p>

"I don't know where else to go, Ducky." She said with a smile. The case was tiring for everyone. They were the targets, it wasn't easy. Ducky smiled at the poor girl. She had gone through a lot. If he was to write about what Ziva had been through, he would not run out of interesting, painful memories.

"Well, actually, I'm heading out to a restaurant for dinner with Abby. Would you like to join us?" He offered.

"Oh, no, no. I don't want to disturb you guys." She rejected politely.

"A guest that is a friend is always welcome to join us." Ducky insisted. She smiled and gave in. She nodded. Abby walked into the room that was not as cold as it used to be. "Ah, you're on time Ms. Sciuto." Ducky said as he saw Abby's black dress. Abby smiled.

"Mind if I join you?" Ziva initially asked her friend.

"No." Abby said with a huge smile on her face. "No, please, come with us." She took Ziva by the arm and escorted her out of the building.

The ride was nowhere near silent. They were happily chattering about the things that are going on in their lives other than work, but it was a limited subject. Their whole life referred around their work and their co-workers.

"Oh, I'm planning to buy a puppy." Abby said when they ran out of things to talk about in the car. "I mean, adopt a puppy." Ziva and Ducky seemed to agree with her choice. Then they pulled over.

The restaurant's wall was painted tan. It has some fleur-de-lis pattern painted over it. A table for three was quickly prepared for them and they ordered their menu.

A waiter came towards them.

"Complimentary, ma'am. From the chef." He said, handing a meal covered in a metal tray. "The chef wants you to open it yourself. Just call me when you're done with it." And the waiter left.

As soon as the waiter left, Abby lifted the cover.

"A frozen heart?" Ducky said in disbelief.

* * *

><p>"Better, Tony?" Ziva asked Tony after she put down an apple on Tony's hand.<p>

"Yeah. After the surgery. We'll be able to open my bandage in 2 days." He said. He rubbed the fruit that was placed in his hand. "Apple again? My sugar, huh?" He asked, remembering the time they were on the lookout together. She smiled.

"Went on dinner with Ducky and Abby. Guess who got a delivery too." She shot a rhetorical at DiNozzo.

"Abby." He said, still adjusting to the darkness.

"Yes. A frozen heart." Ziva told him. "What can that possibly mean?" She pulled a chair and sat beside Tony. Tony had that thinking expression with his lips. "Forget it. So, did Lavie call today?" She asked emphasizing Tony's dream girl's name

"Nope." He answered. Ziva felt bad for him, but she was relieved.

"She'll probably call you tomorrow." Ziva softened. Tony said nothing but smile. He tried to go to sleep.

"She didn't call today. She came." Tony whispered in a low pitch. He smiled and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p>"Gibbs! I know what it all means! It's simple. We overthought the message." Abby came rushing from her lab. The energy of the sun seemed to be absorbed by this lady.<p>

"Did you sleep in the lab, Abby?" McGee asked. Abby nodded, still energetic as she was always.

"First, Ziva. Second, Tony. Third, McGee. Fourth, me. They're not sending Ziva a message about a dead body. It's the rib. We forgot about it. The rib, it's a symbol of protection. Tony, he's blind, temporarily. He can't see his surrounding. He has lost his sense of awareness." Before Abby could finish, McGee interrupted her.

"We noticed, Abby." He said. But Ziva hit him as a sign to shush him.

"The tongue, you get, McGee, is a symbol of speech. Without your tongue, you are mute. Lastly, the frozen heart, the end of everything. No heartbeats left." She finished it off. Ziva seemed to get the message.

"So the protection had been broken. You have no protection, and you lost your awareness of your surrounding. You become weak. Once you're weak, they torture you, but you can't say anything, because of the tongue. Lastly, they'll kill us all." Ziva put it in a short explanation for them.

"I need a who, Abby, Ziva, McGee." Gibbs said, watching his team members.

"Running it boss." McGee said. The three ran to their own desks. "Someone who has access to all of the lieutenant, Ziva's home and knowing Tony's there, a tongue, a heart and us." He completed.

"And to whom do the heart and the tongue belong to?" Ziva asked McGee.

"Ziva, didn't anyone tell you?" Abby asked. Ziva looked at Abby. "Another body was found. The lieutenant's brother, the one that was here a couple days ago. He committed suicide. I guess these killers went there after he died. Cut off his tongue, take out his heart." She paused. "Eurgh. What kind of person does that?" She finished then returned to her work. Ziva's lips were sealed.

"Tony's bandage will be opened tomorrow." She told the team, avoiding the bitter topic. Abby seemed worried but happy.

"I hope he'll get his sight back. I can't imagine how miserable he'd be without his sight!" Abby stated. Just then, a man, guided by a male nurse entered the room.

"Says who I'm miserable?" He said and laughed, though inside he was hurting.

"Tony!" Abby ran and hugged him. "Oh, I hope you're ok with me sitting on your chair while you weren't here." She said. "And what's with the male nurse?" She raised an eyebrow. Even though Tony didn't see his surrounding, he smiled.

"He's seeing someone." Ziva said smiling, looking at the computer screen.

"Oh really?" Abby teased Tony. All but Gibbs's attention turned towards Tony. "Tell me about this girl."

"She's amazing. She's beautiful. She's fragile. She-She changed me." Tony said. The team thought that for a second, the blindness had changed him. "Ah, well enough about Lavie. Give me the updates."

"Found the message, running it through the database." Ziva told him.

"Actually, found the suspects." McGee announced. "Elle Klapen and her husband. Newly married. His name is…" He stopped.

"Who McGee?" Gibbs waited for an answer.

"George Bowden, boss. He was my high school… Friend." McGee replied.

"That's it!" Tony exclaimed.

"Ziva's the prime target. I'm the bonus. Tony and Abby are the collateral damages." McGee said.

"Bring them in." Gibbs told his team. He got out of his chair and when he passed Tony, he gave Tony a head slap. "And you, go back to your hospital room." Gibbs instructed. Tony whined, but followed his boss's orders anyway.

Ziva dialed Elle's phone number she found earlier that day.

"Put it on speaker." Gibbs said.

"_Well, hello, Ziva… McGee. We've been waiting for your call."_ The voice on the other side of the line said. _"How's that collateral damage? And that girl who mistakenly got the frozen heart?" _She asked. Ziva rolled her eyes.

"Where are you?" Ziva asked without emotion.

"_Oh, you don't think it would be that easy, would it, daddy's little girl?" _Ziva looked away as Elle displayed the teasing tone. She breathed deeply. She looked at McGee, but he shook his head. _"Don't think that it'll be that easy to track me."_ Elle added, trying to prove that she's that good. _"Bye-bye… Ziva."_ She laughed after saying so and hung up.

"McGee, tell me you have it." Abby said with a tone of hope.

"I do." McGee smiled. "But guys… It might not be smiles after all. They're outside."

"Gear up." Gibbs said.

In the darkness of the night, they crept outside to find the suspects. They were fully equipped.

"No signs of them boss." McGee said before leaving the protection of the doors. Ziva covered the left part of the building, McGee right, and Gibbs was in the middle.

"Sweep the area." Gibbs instructed. Ziva went to the parking lot while McGee went to around the building's perimeter.

"There you are… Probie." George's deep voice haunted McGee. In his hand, a 9mm gun fitted. "You're mine. Now."

"What did I do to make you want to kill me?" McGee asked.

"Well, I love to kill. That's my game, McGee. MY GAME. My wife turns out to be an assassin too. She knows Ziva, and oh, I earned my bonus." He said, implying that this was all a game for him. "You." He cleared it up for McGee.

From outside, Gibbs heard a gun being shot. Once. Twice. Thrice.


	6. Foreshadow

**And this is it. The last chapter. Thank you for those who had been reading and reviewing. I really, really appreciate that. Some readers (which I gave a copy of this story in advanced) enjoyed the story. They didn't expect the ending, well, they liked it. So, I hope it's the same for you. Enjoy and review, please, when you're done. Thank you! :)**

Amongst the different cars, Ziva chose to shoot the one that looked normal. There she was. Elle Klepan, the girl with dark hair and pale skin.

"Good job. Still the old you." Elle said. Ziva ignored her. The two women fought so hard. They both basically got the same training.

With her heels, Ziva kicked the gun out of Elle's grasp. Elle laughed and pulled out her knife. She sliced the air and Ziva's arm, but it didn't stop Ziva. Her blood dripped, but she didn't seem to feel a thing. Maybe she didn't. Maybe it was too painful that she couldn't feel it anymore.

"Federal agents, put your hands in the air." Gibbs's voice echoed in the indoor parking lot. Behind him, there was no sign of McGee, nor George. Elle smiled as if she was still expecting her partner's help. It wasn't weird at all. They were ghosts after all. They know how to hide themselves.

A smile grew on Ziva's smile.

* * *

><p>"Where is he?" Elle demanded of her husband. Gibbs stayed silent. He stared at her, giving her the creepy feeling. Ziva and McGee watched from behind the mirror.<p>

"You think she'll be ok?" McGee asked, looking at the person who just attempted to take Ziva down.

"She's been through rougher things. The world would be burned upside down if she actually loves that husband of hers." Ziva stated. She looked at McGee's thinking face. "What?" She asked.

"It's turned, Ziva. Not burned." He corrected. Ziva smiled and nodded to the glass. They both turned silent again. They looked at the two that were also silent inside the gray, empty room. They were silent until the girl couldn't take it anymore. She needed an answer.

"Where is he, agent Gibbs?" She asked once more. Still, no reply. Gibbs stood up, looking into the mirror. He nodded his head up at a direction where McGee usually stood. In a matter of seconds, McGee opened the door. He handcuffed Klepan.

"Elle Klepan, you are under arrest for the murder of Lieutenant Gary Canson. You have the right to remain silent. Whatever you say can and will be used against you—" Before he could finish, she interrupted.

"Get off of me." She snarled with her deepest voice. She fidgeted, trying to get rid of McGee. Gibbs howled at her.

"He's in the autopsy." And he left. McGee escorted her out of the interrogation room.

* * *

><p>"Goodnight, Ziva." McGee said to her after he packed. Ziva smiled at him.<p>

"Goodnight, McGee. I'll see you tomorrow?" She prolonged the conversation. McGee nodded and smiled.

"Yeah. Tomorrow." He said. His figure was then swallowed by the elevator door.

The room was dark. The AC that was mute when the room was filled, but now it was loud. Ziva turned her desk lamp off. Then a figure stood beside her.

"Semper fi, kiddo." Gibbs said. Then he leant down and planted a kiss on Ziva's forehead. "Goodnight." He grabbed his jacket and waved at Ziva. She smiled into the air. "And Ziva…" It was as if he was talking to the elevator door, rather than Ziva who was still packing her things. "Go home. I'll take care of Tony tonight." Gibbs said.

* * *

><p>"Who's there?" Tony asked.<p>

"Me." Gibbs said. "Caught the killers. One dead." He gave Tony a report on the case. Tony smiled.

The room was filled with an estranged feeling. Distant. Gibbs looked at one of his best agents.

"You scared, Tony?" He asked, sounding more fatherly. Tony chuckled. He gave a slight nod.

* * *

><p>"Is everyone in here?" Tony asked dubiously. He was nervous, and so are the others. The previous day had been good, but that day, no one knew.<p>

Abby stood nervously beside Ziva. She whispered,

"Do you think Tony will be ok?" She looked at Ziva. Ziva smiled at her.

"I don't know Abby. But I'm sure he's loving this attention he's getting." Ziva said, trying to make the situation slightly lighter. Inside, she was just as nervous as Abby.

"Probie, would you do me the honor?" He asked McGee. All the others were confused. Tony and McGee?

"Where is that Lavie?" Abby asked. "Doesn't she want to be here too?" All the others looked at Abby. Her question made sense.

"Yeah, Tony. Shouldn't she be the one taking that bandage off your eyes?" McGee asked. Tony chuckled.

"It's ok, she's nervous out of her mind, I know." Tony answered them.

"Oh, that's why she's not here." Abby concluded. Gibbs smiled and chuckled with a voice that only he could hear.

"Well, ok. Let's open it." The doctor said, standing beside the hospital bed, watching the team debating over something he barely understood.

McGee took the bandage's end and unwrapped it. His touch wasn't rough, but it wasn't delicate either.

"Here." Ziva offered help.

"Careful there, Mossad." Tony said, expecting a rough touch from someone who sleeps with a knife in her hand. Ziva unrolled the bandage gently; making sure that every touch is as delicate as she could be. It came to the last layer of the bandage. They both took a deep breath.

"Don't open your eyes first, Mr. DiNozzo." The doctor instructed. "Open it slowly, blink and open wider. You got that?" He told Tony. Tony nodded. He blinked and opened his eyes. Perfect vision. Tony smiled.

"Guess I'm back!" He announced. His face glad as ever and he laughed. Abby gave him a big hug.

"Welcome back, Tony." McGee told him. Gibbs laughed silently and went out of the room. They turned their heads toward the door.

"He's probably out for coffee." Abby got excited. "I'll get myself a cup of Caf-Pow." She announced and left the room. The doctor opened the door for Abby and followed out after her. He opened the door once again.

"You're good to go." The doctor said. Once again, he was out of the room.

"Great!" Tony announced. "Then let's get goin'." He said, excited.

* * *

><p>Ziva entered the men's bathroom.<p>

"So, got that call?" She asked Tony.

"Nope." Tony answered. "But I saw her." He said. Ziva smiled.

"Good for you." She said, her voice shaking. For a moment, the silence of the room took over.

"Ziva, there isn't a 'Lavie' in my life. There hadn't been any 'Lavie' in my life. Can't you see? I'm creating this character based on you. I'm describing her in a way that you don't see yourself as. You are the girl who changed me." Tony said, pressing a thumb against Ziva's cheek. She looked at the floor.

A tear rolled down her face and she smiled.

* * *

><p>"Gear up!" Gibbs called out.<p> 


End file.
